Update 11/14: This paint is proving to have tank-like durability. The table is in the foyer of my home, right nest to my front door. Every time I walk through the door, I (literally) toss my keys, wallet, and phone on it. I would have figured by now there would be a few dings and scratches in the paint. Not so. Still looks great. I actually put a base coat of black rustoleum under the green Benjamin Moore, hoping to get an interesting weathered look over time as the black would start to show through. So in that regard, the benjamin moore is doing its job TOO well. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this stuff again. Oh- and I finished off that quart after painting a small chest of drawers AND a small wall-hanging shelf. That said, the $22 for the quart was an absolute bargain. I take back what I said about it being pricey and upgraded this stuff from four to five stars. It definitely earned it.

Actually, I’ve always liked painting furniture. However, I’ve always felt inclined to use traditional, oil-based paints due to the leveling characteristics and durability. The downside is that oil-based paint is a solid gold PITA to clean-up. It takes longer for me to clean the paint brush than it does to prep and paint the workpiece. And I seem to go through a quart of mineral spirits in the process. And given that I typically prime, then paint, then paint again; I have to endure the routine 3 friggin times. Then I was left with a bunch of HAZMAT to deal with. That said, I’ve avoided the painting process. However, I recently picked-up a small table for my foyer at a local consignment shop. It was originally some sort of weathered off-white color. I wasn’t crazy about the color, and my wife hated it. I was ordered to strip it down to bare wood or re-paint it a different color. Given that I don’t know the age of the table, I didn’t want to mess with stripping the paint (lead). So I elected to simply re-paint it.

I went to the local Benjamin Moore and asked for a quart of oil-based in “Boreal Forest”. The manager asked if I HAD to have oil based, or if I’d be open to try their Advance waterborne alkyd. He showed me a few samples that had been painted with the stuff and claimed the durability to be as good as oil. And of course, being water based, I could clean the brush with soap and water. I decided to take a chance.

Well, this stuff was absolutely delightful to work with. I’m certainly not a highly experienced painter, and I had no trouble with it. It really behaved like an oil paint. Leveled well and stayed wet long enough to minimalize any brush marks. I work in a well-ventilated garage so smell isn’t a big issue for me, but its worth mentioning that this paint had very little smell to it at all. Anyone with poor ventilation or sensitivities might appreciate that more than I did.

Drying time is about 3-4 hours to the touch. But the label specified 16 hours to sand/repaint.

Its worth mentioning that I used a Corona brand Chinex brush to paint the table. I’ve used $2 brushes and I’ve used $25 brushes in the past. Please- don’t ever use a cheap brush to apply paint. In the end, you won’t be happy with the results. And a high-end brush, if cared for, will last for a very long time. Paint brushes are definitely an item where price indicates quality. The Corona brush was pricey at ~$20, but worth it. The table wouldn’t have looked as good with a $5 bargain brush. But I digress.

The paint was also pricey. $22. I could have got a cheaper product. But paint is one of those things that I don’t typically skimp on. I like to buy paint from….......a paint store. Novel, I know. But I’ve never been unhappy with any product I’ve purchased from Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. And besides,I also have a dresser I need to paint too. So for $22, I got enough high-end paint for two projects. I can live with that.

Oh, and clean-up went as-advertised. Soap and water had the brush clean in five minutes. The brush wrapper specified a final rinse with mineral spirits since I was using an Alkyd paint. But bottom line is that I got to enjoy painting my project without the usual hassles of clean-up. And the end result was great.

22 comments so far

Very nice project. Good advice on the brushes. I use an expensive brush to apply the polyurethane but in between projects I keep the brush in a jar of turpentine or thinner. Since I do a lot of projects, that works for me. I do use dollar store brushes for poly prep, because I have never been able to clean them after. Any way I like the color choice also, it suits the table. Have a nice day.

I’ve always associated the ‘alkyd’ designation as being an oil-based paint. This is interesting, I’ll have to try it! Was the $22 spent on a pint, quart, or gallon? Wonder if there’s a Benjamin Moore dealer in my area. The table looks great!

-- Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." I'm Poopiekat!!

PK, I too also thought that Alkyd=Oil. And in the past, I think it was generally true. But several leading paint companies now offer waterborne versions. After my initial run, I’m a fan of the stuff. I’m not seeing a down side (yet). $22 got me a whole quart. However, I paid a premium for buying a small amount. I think a gallon costs $50 or less. I painted that table twice and probably used 1/10 of the quart. I still have enough to paint a chest of drawers for my kid’s room….probably with plenty to spare. A gallon would likely be enough to paint every inch of trim in an average single family house. Maybe a few doors too.

Great review, very interesting and much appreciated. As I hate painting to the point that I’d rather have a tooth pulled without anesthesia, I think I’ll give this a try and keep more of my teeth. Thanks.

-- "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The point is to bring them the real facts." - Abraham Lincoln

Thanks for the compliments. This project, along with all the lovely responses, has motivated me to build some other pieces I have been putting off. As much as I love the look of wood. I have a few projects in-mind that would be more appropriate if painted. Now that I’ve found a paint that isn’t a royal PITA to work with, I’m looking forward to getting started. And since I’ll be painting said projects, I don’t have to use expesive, hardwood stock. Paint grade pine (or mdf) will do.

Thanks for the excellent review! I am planning on using this to paint some kitchen cabinets, so this helps validate my decision. I do thinkit seems a bit unfair to deduct 1 star due to the price. It seems to me like the reviews here and the star rankings are more suited for your opinion of how the product performed vs. the price of the product.

I agree with all you said about this paint. i used it to paint kitchen cabinets, and they turned out great.

It has been about a year since then, and the paint has held up well so far. Easy to wipe clean, and no marks yet.

I would only add that the dry time before use should be a minimum of 48 hours, even in the warm months. At least, that was my experience. I noticed a definite difference in the cured state during the last 24 hours. This is in the northeast during 70°+ days.